Chapter 639 Half Saint

The training room was spacious and quiet, with almost no sound being audible.

Only a few quaint candlesticks, suspended in different corners of the room, emitted soft warm light, barely outlining the surroundings and separating this space from complete darkness.

However, beneath this seemingly calm surface, a thrilling scene is unfolding inside.

Xiao Ling sat upright in the center of the room, motionless, like a statue.

But at this moment, his body was like a surging universe, with vast and pure energy flowing.

These energies were like unruly torrents, impacting the barriers of Xiao Ling's meridians.

However, the grade of the Burning Technique has already reached the heavenly level. At this moment, under the guidance of his thoughts, it is like an invisible net, accurately and powerfully capturing and taming these energies one by one.

They were forcibly introduced into specific locations in Xiao Ling's body, and were repeatedly washed and tempered in the eight extraordinary meridians.

Because the energy accumulated in the body was so overwhelming, every surge of energy brought a slight swelling pain, but Xiao Ling still just closed his eyes, with no joy or sadness on his face, and no expression could be seen.

He seemed to be able to hear the "whistling" sound of energy rushing through his meridians, and feel it being disassembled and purified bit by bit, and finally flowing into his limbs and bones like a trickle.

This is not a transformation that can be achieved overnight, it requires a long period of accumulation.

But every time of energy tempering and fighting spirit compression, Xiao Ling's inner self becomes more solid.

His aura became increasingly restrained, becoming quiet and reserved, like a deep pool, seemingly calm but actually unfathomable.

He is taking one step at a time, approaching the threshold of the next extreme, step by step, until the time of complete transformation.

In addition to the steady improvement in cultivation, there was also a more bizarre fluctuation mixed in with that pure energy.

Without Xiao Ling's knowledge, this strange energy quietly penetrated into his limbs and bones as he practiced.

It did not directly impact the meridians, but rather carved his body silently like the most delicate craftsman.

Xiao Ling's body was already far superior to that of ordinary people and extremely strong due to his practice of the Qingtian Hualong Jue.

But at this moment, this strange energy seemed to be the final step in tempering the magic weapon, causing the already tough body to undergo another round of tempering.

Every inch of muscle, every bone, and even every cell, becomes denser and more solid under the cleansing of this energy. The pain is subtle, but it brings a sense of transformation that penetrates deep into the bone marrow.

Gradually, wisps of indescribable purple-gold blood energy began to flow around his body as if it had substance.

This blood and energy did not come from the outside world, but was the overflow of the life force that was stimulated and reshaped by the strange energy in his body.

They sometimes condense and sometimes disperse, and in the light of the candlelight, they cast unpredictable, ghostly shadows on the wall, adding a bit of mystery and suspense.

It is not difficult to imagine that when this complete transformation from the inside out is finally completed, Xiao Ling's physique will also usher in a qualitative leap, and at that time, he will surely reap amazing results far beyond the ordinary.

……

Time seems to have lost its meaning in the extreme concentration.

I don’t know how long it has been, maybe a month, maybe several months, or maybe even longer.

But the tightly closed stone door of the training room and the tranquility maintained by the entire Sunset Gorge were finally broken on this day.

At first, the energy fluctuations in the training room began to become chaotic, no longer as condensed and orderly as before, as if a stone was thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.

Immediately afterwards, several candles that maintained the light in the room began to flicker violently, the flames rising and falling, and Xiao Ling's figure on the wall was distorted.

"Om-"

A low humming sound came from the training room. It was not harsh, but it had a texture of breaking through some kind of boundary.

The runes on the stone gate flickered and made a few "crackling" sounds, as if they were under tremendous pressure.

Finally, accompanied by a slight friction sound, the heavy stone door slowly opened inward.

From the crack in the door, a ray of light, brighter than candlelight but with a cold metallic glow, first came out. Then, a tall and slender figure walked out slowly with unhurried steps.

Arriving in the courtyard, Xiao Ling stood still and took a deep breath.

This is not the pure but slightly oppressive energy in the training room, but the uniquely fresh air that comes from the special environment of Sunset Gorge.

A cold and slightly chilling feeling instantly filled his lungs, as if cleansing every cell.

He involuntarily let out a long breath of foul air, then muttered to himself, with a hint of drowsiness, as if he had just woken up, and a sense of emptiness that was unique to cultivation:
"Hmm... This tastes really good. I've been practicing for so long, I'm almost bored."

Before he finished speaking, his joints moved slightly, and a few crisp popping sounds came from between his fingers.

Then, a comfortable stretch spread out from his body.

The movement was not large, but it brought with it a sense of relaxation like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, completely loosening up the body that had become slightly stiff after sitting for a long time.

The lines of the shoulders and back draw a graceful arc under the cloth, making a series of satisfying and crisp sounds of the joints stretching.

After doing all this, Xiao Ling narrowed his eyes slightly, letting the fresh air brush across his cheeks, enjoying the momentary feeling of relaxation after the training.

At this moment, Xiao Ling's own cultivation, after those nine times of extreme accumulation and compression of his own fighting spirit, finally completed the "Nine Turns" and successfully transformed into a saint.

Although he failed to break through to the Dou Sheng realm in one fell swoop, he had truly stepped into the realm of the Half-Saint. Feeling the power surging within his body, far beyond what he used to possess, as he raised his hand, a faint fluctuation of heaven and earth energy was faintly present at his fingertips. Compared to his previous strength, this improvement was simply like heaven and earth.

An unprecedented strong self-confidence even diluted his rationality, making him almost have the illusion that he was invincible.

Of course, he also knew that this was just a normal illusion caused by the vigorous energy and unstable mind during a breakthrough in cultivation.

But even so, based on his semi-saint level of cultivation, looking at the entire Douqi Continent, the only people who can surpass him are probably the few top people standing at the top of the world.

What is even more shocking is that the contrast between Xiao Ling's current age and his semi-saint cultivation level is truly shocking.

Looking at the long history of the Douqi Continent, geniuses who have reached the rank of semi-saints at such a young age are extremely rare, enough to subvert the perception of countless strong people about the limits of their talents.

In addition to the leap in cultivation, Xiao Ling's physical body has also been greatly improved after this almost rebirth of tempering.

At this moment, when he once again practiced the Qingtian Hualong Jue and concentrated his strength in his palms, the originally pure and thick green dragon scales on his hands were now faintly intertwined and permeated with a deep purple-gold color. The scales were not only more clearly visible, but the luster also appeared more vivid and dazzling.

He could clearly feel that the power coming from his palm was far greater than before, and the toughness had changed dramatically compared to before.

Xiao Ling made a rough estimate in his mind, and an astonishing idea arose in his mind. He was afraid that his current physical strength was not inferior to that of the Taixu Ancient Dragon of the same level, and might even be better.

……

At this moment, in the courtyard where Xiao Ling was, the calm void seemed to be thrown into by a stone, causing tiny ripples.

In the center of the ripples, the space was slightly distorted, as if something was trying to break free from it.

However, the first thing that broke the silence was not a physical entity, but a slightly rough chuckle: "Haha, it seems that I have arrived at the perfect time!"

The voice was somewhat heroic and echoed in the empty courtyard.

Before he finished speaking, the void, which had been slightly distorted before, suddenly shook, and a burly figure stepped out of the air and landed steadily on the stone floor of the courtyard.

The man who came was tall, with a slightly old face, and was wearing the wide robe unique to Ancient Dragon Island. He was Zhu Li, the third elder of Ancient Dragon Island.

Zhu Li looked at Xiao Ling with burning eyes, with an undisguised joy on his face, and said cheerfully:
"I didn't expect that I was just passing by here today and took a casual look around, but I happened to run into Xiao Ling just as he was coming out of retreat. This is truly a heaven-sent auspicious omen, and I am so happy!"

"Haha, Elder Zhuli is joking,"

Xiao Ling also stopped what he was doing, looked in the direction of Zhu Li, and said with a faint smile on his lips:
"It's just that I completely refined the opportunity I had earlier, and it came naturally, leading to a breakthrough in my cultivation. It's not worth mentioning."

"You are being too modest!" Zhu Li laughed heartily upon hearing this, his face full of sincere admiration. He waved his hands, his tone filled with excitement.
"At your age, you've already broken through to the Semi-Saint realm... This is the first time I've seen such a thing in my life. I've never even heard of it! I'm afraid that even the most gifted disciples of those transcendent ancient families can't reach the level of you, Little Friend Xiao Ling!"

The more he spoke, the more incredible it seemed to him, his eyes filled with admiration for Xiao Ling and a hint of disbelief.

Zhu Li hadn't expected that Xiao Ling's cultivation would improve so dramatically in such a short period of time! He looked at Xiao Ling with a look of disbelief.

How long had it been? Perhaps less than sixty years, and Xiao Ling had already ascended to the level of a semi-saint!
You know, Zhu Li once boasted himself as a young hero of the ancient dragon clan, and now he is one of the three most powerful fighters in Donglong Island. However, when he broke through to the semi-saint realm, it took him countless years and countless life and death trials before he could barely touch that door.

And now, compared with his cultivation journey, the young man in front of him has completed the leap he had dreamed of in the past in just a blink of an eye.

With such a comparison, Zhu Li felt a warm current surge in his heart, and the pride on his face disappeared in an instant, replaced by an indescribable shock and... shame.

He even thought in a daze that compared with a monster like Xiao Ling, his life seemed... to have nothing worth mentioning.

In response to Zhu Li's barrage of praise, Xiao Ling simply smiled faintly and didn't respond too much. He knew in his heart that this achievement wasn't entirely due to so-called coincidence.

The total amount of various rare elixirs and natural treasures he has consumed and used to improve his cultivation along the way is probably already more than that of the most core and beloved young generations in those ancient families. It can be said that it is even more than that.

Under such high standards, such achievements are natural.

After all, there was a price to pay. If he couldn't even achieve this breakthrough, then it would be really hard to justify Xiao Ling himself.

Instead of continuing the topic, Xiao Ling turned his gaze elsewhere and asked about other things.

He pondered for a moment and asked, "By the way, Elder Zhuli, I wonder how Ziyan is doing now? Has she come out of seclusion?"

Zhu Li thought for a moment after hearing this, then replied, "Princess Zi Yan is still cultivating in the main hall. It seems that she will need some time. But don't worry, Xiao Ling. There are many guards around her, and the First and Second Elders often visit her. Her safety is absolutely guaranteed, and there will be no accidents."

"Is Zi Yan practicing now?" Xiao Ling's eyes flashed with understanding when he heard this, but it was normal when he thought about it. Considering the total amount of energy that Zi Yan had to face and absorb, it was reasonable that it would take more time to close the loop.

He nodded and said, "In that case, thank you Elder Zhuli for clearing up my doubts."

Zhu Li, the elder who had praised Xiao Ling earlier, laughed heartily upon hearing this, waved his hand, and said, "This is all trivial, this is all trivial. I'm sure you'll go visit later, so it's only right for me to say a few words."

After chatting, Zhu Li stood up with a look of apology on his face: "Little friend Xiao Ling, it's getting late. I still have some matters to take care of here. I'm afraid I have to take my leave first. As the current main person in charge of Ancient Dragon Island, I have a lot of trivial matters to deal with. I can't delay here any longer."

He paused, his gaze set on Xiao Ling, and said solemnly, "However, if you, Xiao Ling, are cultivating, or have any insights into space, you can always come and discuss it with me. We can always inspire each other, and perhaps this will be of some help to you."

Changing the subject, Zhu Li seemed to recall something and brought up the previous matter. "As for the medicinal materials, if Xiao Ling ever plans to start refining pills, please come find me. The deal you proposed last time has been constantly on the minds of the First and Second Elders."

Senior, you are very busy and should focus on your work. I will not stay with you. As for matters concerning refining pills, I will come to you for advice when I have the chance."

Xiao Ling nodded, chuckled and said.

After saying goodbye briefly to Xiao Ling, Zhu Li nodded to Xiao Ling again, and then his figure flashed and disappeared into the turbulent flow of the void like a wisp of smoke. It was so fast that it was almost impossible to catch, and he disappeared in a moment.

(End of this chapter)